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Priceline Hotel: hotel bidding help - first time


howang
By howang,
in

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Hi everyone, 

 

Thanks in advance for helping me out.

 

I'm a first time user of priceline/hotwire but I've done my research on bidding  and have a good understanding of how it works.  I'm looking to spend 3 nights in Chicago either on

a)  September  8 - September 12 or

b)  September 15 - September 18

 

Area:  Magnificent Mile Gold Coast or River North (first time in Chicago and I've read that this is the area to stay for first timers. I'm open to any other suggestions)

Stars:  4 or higher

Budget:  $200 USD per night

Rooms:  2 for 5 people

Other info:  Will be driving so if any hotel offers cheaper parking that would be a plus

 

Right now there are a few express deals on priceline/hotwire that meet my budget but I was wondering if I should submit a bid instead and if so, what price do you think I should start at.  

 

Let me know if I need to provide any other info.

 

Thanks again!!

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Welcome to BetterBidding!

 

Few issues to cover before moving forward...

27 minutes ago, howang said:

September  8 - September 12

Are these the correct dates as this would be a 4 nite stay, not a 3 nite stay as indicated in your post

 

Do you not yet know which set of dates everyone in your group will be able to make it and need to get other things in order first (ie- time off from work, etc) or are you all set to travel on either set of dates based upon which may offer a better deal / hotel?

 

28 minutes ago, howang said:

Budget:  $200 USD per night

I'm assuming this is per room, but to confirm further, is this your maximum room rate (before fees/taxes) or is this your all-in budget per room per nite?

 

29 minutes ago, howang said:

Rooms:  2 for 5 people

All PRICELINE reservations are for double occupancy, so there is  chance that you are assigned rooms with only one bed.  You can choose to accept the risk that you won't have enough bedding for everyone in your group (and that the hotel won't take issue with triple occupancy when booked for double occupancy) but we don't typically recommend this in large cities where rooms are often smaller than elsewhere in the country and hotels have a high percentage of rooms with only one bed in them (vs. a location like Orlando which is used to accommodating families and hotels often have a high percentage of rooms with 2 beds).  If this is not a risk you're willing to accept you have two other options:

1) choose a PRICELINE EXPRESS offer where a bed choice option is shown and where one of the choices offered is a room with two beds.  Technically your reservation is still only for double occupancy, but i don't know of anyone yet who has had an issue showing up with more than two people when a specific room was booked that is designed to accommodate the number of guests in the party.

2) search HOTWIRE for double occupancy and try to find a room that offers a bed choice where one of the options offered can accommodate triple occupancy.  Same risk/caveat at #1 above.

3) search HOTWIRE for 2rooms/5guests.  This guarantees that you will have sleeping accommodations for everyone that you include in your search, and while this often means 2 beds in the room, the second 'bed' could be a pullout sofabed or a rollaway brought into the room.

 

Based upon the information above let us know your thoughts (and questions), as well as the additional information we requested, and we will advise accordingly.

 

Please remember to return to BetterBidding and use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPSandHOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases.

Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases

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Thanks so much thereuare for the detailed response.  Greatly appreciated.

 

46 minutes ago, thereuare said:

Few issues to cover before moving forward...

Are these the correct dates as this would be a 4 nite stay, not a 3 nite stay as indicated in your post

You are correct my dates were in fact wrong and it should be 

 

a)  September  9 - September 12 or

b)  September 16 - September 19

 

47 minutes ago, thereuare said:

 

Do you not yet know which set of dates everyone in your group will be able to make it and need to get other things in order first (ie- time off from work, etc) or are you all set to travel on either set of dates based upon which may offer a better deal / hotel?

Either date is fine with my group but just looking for a better deal / hotel

 

47 minutes ago, thereuare said:

 

1 hour ago, howang said:

Budget:  $200 USD per night

I'm assuming this is per room, but to confirm further, is this your maximum room rate (before fees/taxes) or is this your all-in budget per room per nite?

 

Correct!!! This is per room per night and before fees/taxes

 

50 minutes ago, thereuare said:
1 hour ago, howang said:

Rooms:  2 for 5 people

All PRICELINE reservations are for double occupancy

With respect to taking a risk or not, my understanding from your post is that because Chicago is large city, you wouldn't recommend that I take a risk for simply searching double occupancy.  As such, I am fine with option 1 or 3.

 

 

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Unfortunately, parking in Chicago is definitely quite expensive at hotels, with fees as much as $70+ per night. You can find more reasonable city lots, but still not inexpensive. 

 

When searching for 2 rooms and a total of 5 people, I'm seeing for 9/16-19 (which is the cheaper of the two sets of dates):

 

4.5* Magnificent Mile  - Water Tower for $195.00
Pet Friendly
Boutique
Indoor Pool
Smoke Free
Fitness
Pool
Restaurant
Business
Hi-Speed Internet
Spa
Childrens Activities
==>  Likely the W Lakeshore

 

4* Riverwalk - North Loop for $170.00
Pet Friendly
Boutique
Smoke Free
Fitness
Restaurant
Business
Laundry
Hi-Speed Internet
Spa
Blind Accessible
Deaf Accessible
Travel Accessible
Room Accessible
Wheelchair Accessible
Bathroom Accessible
Roll-in Shower
==>  Likely the Hard Rock

 

4.5* River North for $183.00
Pet Friendly
Boutique
Indoor Pool
Smoke Free
Fitness
Pool
Restaurant
Hi-Speed Internet
Spa
==>  Not certain on this one; it may be something else, but the Palomar with an error on the tripadvisor rating showing would be a maybe in this case.

 

Would any of these potential options be of interest?

 

Please remember to return to BetterBidding and use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPSandHOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases.

 

 

 

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Thanks AaronJB for the assistance.  Those 3 hotels are definitely in consideration.  However, my group is still asking about the September 9 to September 12 dates.  I saw the following hotels that meet our budget and was wondering if someone can help me identify which hotels these are:

 

Priceline Express

 

4* Magnificent Mile for $148

Pets Allowed

Business Center

Restaurant

Free Internet

Fitness Center

No Smoking Rooms/Facilitie <--- I think this one is Public Chicago which I am not interested in based on the reviews.

 

Hotwire

 

4* Magnificent Mile - Water Tower for $189

 Free Internet 

Pet friendly

Boutique hotel

Smoke-free rooms

Fitness center

Restaurant(s)

 Business center

Internet access,

Golf nearby,

Accessible for visually impaired,

Accessible for hearing impaired,

Accessible path of travel,

In-room accessibility,

Wheelchair accessible,

Accessible bathroom,

Accessible parking,

Roll-in shower

 

They are also fine with taking a chance with bidding and if so, do you have a recommended price I should start at?

 

Thanks!

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For Sept 9-12 (confirm your dates on the landing page of any links provided below):

 

4* Magnificent Mile -Gold Coast for $148
Pets Allowed
Business Center
Restaurant
Free Internet
Fitness Center
No Smoking Rooms/Facilities
==> i agree that the Public Chicago would be the best guess for this one

 

For the HOTWIRE offer:

4* Magnificent Mile  - Water Tower for $182.00
Free Internet
Pet Friendly
Boutique
Smoke Free
Fitness
Restaurant
Business
Hi-Speed Internet
Golf
Blind Accessible
Deaf Accessible
Travel Accessible
Room Accessible
Wheelchair Accessible
Bathroom Accessible
Handicapped Parking
Roll-in Shower
==> this one too is likely the Public Chicago

 

8 hours ago, howang said:

They are also fine with taking a chance with bidding and if so, do you have a recommended price I should start at?

We don't recommend it, but you know your group better than we do and how they will be able to adapt and handle any adversity that may come up, so if you'd like to move forward bidding let us know which set of dates you want to bid for, minimum star rating, which zones are acceptable, and your maximum bid price... we will then suggest a strategy for you to follow.  However, if bidding and you intend to include the 'Magnificent Mile - Water Tower' zone, how do you avoid the Public which you say you are not interested in?

 

Please remember to return to BetterBidding and use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPSandHOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases.

Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases

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The Public was previously the Ambassador East, which was one of the most famed historic properties in the city. Many years ago, it was really the place for visiting celebs. The renovation for it to become the Public a few years back gave the property a pretty terrific face lift - I was really impressed with a lot of the work that was done. Still, there are some hints that this is at the core an old building, as the walls are still thin. Rooms were definitely upgraded over when this was the Ambassador East and service was quite nice. Location-wise, the issue is that this is at the very tip-top of the zone in the Gold Coast area. I like that area, but from a tourist perspective, it's not central/is somewhat out of the way. 

 

There are some options for 9/9-12 around $225-235 - unfortunately, these dates are expensive and options under $200 are limited. Let us know if you are interested and I would be happy to go over some options around $225 for these dates. 

 

Please remember to return to BetterBidding and use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPSandHOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases.

 

 

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Thanks again for the input!!

 

2 hours ago, thereuare said:

We don't recommend it, but you know your group better than we do and how they will be able to adapt and handle any adversity that may come up, so if you'd like to move forward bidding let us know which set of dates you want to bid for, minimum star rating, which zones are acceptable, and your maximum bid price... we will then suggest a strategy for you to follow.  However, if bidding and you intend to include the 'Magnificent Mile - Water Tower' zone, how do you avoid the Public which you say you are not interested in?

If we bid, I will be bidding for the 3 nights from September 9 to September 12th and to avoid Public Chicago, I'm guessing the best way would be to just put in River North in the zone.  I'm fine with 4* and above but in order to avoid Public Chicago, should I just keep it at 4.5* and above?  Like AaronJB mentioned, the reason why we are not too fond of Public Chicago is because of the location.  

 

To summarize:

Date:  September 9 to September 12 ( 3 nights)

Minimum star rating:  4* 

Zone - Magnificent mile and River North or whichever zone is best for first time tourists 

Maximum bid price - $200 USD

 

1 hour ago, AaronJB said:

There are some options for 9/9-12 around $225-235 - unfortunately, these dates are expensive and options under $200 are limited. Let us know if you are interested and I would be happy to go over some options around $225 for these dates.

 

With the 5% coupon for priceline, the following hotel won't be too far off our budget so we may consider them.  

 

This is what I see:

 

4.5* Priceline - Downtown - River North  for $217 

Pets Allowed

Business Center

Restaurant

Free Internet

Fitness Center

No Smoking Rooms/Facilities 

====> My guess is this is the James Chicago

 

 

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15 minutes ago, howang said:

I will be bidding for the 3 nights from September 9 to September 12th

Why these dates if either set of dates are acceptable and as per AaronJB's research/comments above, this is the more expensive of the two date ranges.

 

17 minutes ago, howang said:

I'm guessing the best way would be to just put in River North in the zone.

Yes, you can avoid the Public by only bidding the River North zone, since current zone boundaries put The Public at the top of the 'Magnificent Mile -Gold Coast' zone.

 

19 minutes ago, howang said:

I'm fine with 4* and above but in order to avoid Public Chicago, should I just keep it at 4.5* and above?

Only necessary to keep it at 4.5* and above if you decide to include the Magnificent Mile -Gold Coast zone in your bidding, since as per above, if you only bid River North than the Public is not a possibility given that it's not in the River North zone.  If you decide to include Magnificent Mile -Gold Coast then you would need to stick with 4.5* and higher to avoid the Public... but then is something like The Thompson Chicago an acceptable location?

 

For the following PRICELINE EXPRESS offer for 9/9-9/12 (confirm your dates on the landing page of the provided link):

4.5* Downtown - River North for $217
Pets Allowed
Business Center
Restaurant
Free Internet
Fitness Center
No Smoking Rooms/Facilities
==> i would agree of The James Chicago being the best guess for this one

 

Please remember to return to BetterBidding and use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPSandHOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases.

 

Let us  know what you decide and how it goes or how you'd like to proceed.

Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases

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3 hours ago, thereuare said:
3 hours ago, howang said:

I will be bidding for the 3 nights from September 9 to September 12th

Why these dates if either set of dates are acceptable and as per AaronJB's research/comments above, this is the more expensive of the two date ranges.

I just spoke with the group and they still prefer this date overall.  Sorry about the confusion but it looks like the other date isn't an option now.

 

5 hours ago, AaronJB said:

. Location-wise, the issue is that this is at the very tip-top of the zone in the Gold Coast area. I like that area, but from a tourist perspective, it's not central/is somewhat out of the way. 

Because of the price, Public Chicago does seem like a big bargain and we are now considering taking the express deal.  When you don't about being not too central/ somewhat out of the way, how much further are you talking about?

 

Thanks!

 

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The Public is in the Gold Coast area. The Gold Coast is a neighborhood that is just to the North of the top end of the Michigan Ave. area. Top end of the Michigan Ave includes Water Tower, Hancock, etc. When you walk North of those sights on Michigan Ave, you will get to Oak Street. Walk slightly East on Oak Street and you will see a lot of high end boutiques and other stores before getting to Rush Street. Walk North on Rush and you are in the Gold Coast; there's a lot of nightlife and a number of restaurants. The Gibsons and Tavern on Rush are extremely popular, with crowded outdoor dining spots on a nice day. There's also a Lou Malnati's, chef Art Smith's Blue Door (http://bluedoorkitchenchicago.com/about/) and an Original Pancake House, among other options.

 

 Rush becomes State and continues North. You walk through the neighborhood and then get to a very nice residential area that starts North of State and Division. The Public is a couple of blocks up and is surrounded by very nice apartments and houses. It is actually a quieter hotel in terms of street noise from that perspective. The area definitely has a more neighborhood feel and there's actually a very nice farmer's market that closes Division between State and Dearborn on Saturdays. There is a subway stop on Dearborn/Division corner. From this area, it's actually not a bad walk North on a nice day to the Lincoln Park Zoo and Old Town area.

 

Staying in the Gold Coast is not bad at the right price, just know that it is not central in the city as a whole. 

 

So, it becomes a matter of the James and a more central area (as well as nicer hotel) for $217 or the Public (which I didn't think was a bad hotel; but being familiar with what the property looked like before they renovated it, I think they actually managed to do a lot with the existing structure that they were working with) for $147. From the James, it's easy to get to River North which has all manner of restaurant options and nightlife, as well. Given that the James is more central, may require using public transit/cabs a bit less, depending on your plans for what you want to do in Chicago.

 

Please remember to return to BetterBidding and use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPSandHOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases.

 

 

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Great insight on the location of The Public!!

 

I think our plan going forward is to bid on HOTWIRE for 5 people and we won't mind if we get The Public.  

 

As noted above we are looking for the following:  

Date:  September 9 to September 12 ( 3 nights)

Minimum star rating:  4* 

Zone - Magnificent mile and River North or whichever zone is best for first time tourists 

Maximum bid price - $200 USD

 

Can either one of you provide me with a good strategy or starting bidding price?

 

Thanks.

 

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1 hour ago, howang said:

Will update the forum if we go forward with this.

Please follow-up your thread with whatever you decide to do for this trip (even if you don't ultimately use PRICELINE / HOTWIRE, cancel the trip, book direct, etc) as this help keep the board better organized and more useful for everyone... as well as being a courtesy to anyone who took the time to help with your travel plans.

 

Do keep in mind that any of the offers above could disappear at any time, so you may want to have a group discussion as to what you want to do sooner rather than later.

 

Please remember to return to BetterBidding and use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPSandHOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases.

 

Good luck!

Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases

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The one note that I have is that the potential Public is $148, while the next cheapest 4*  for these dates is $233 and next cheapest 4.5* is $217. Cheapest options on PRICELINE EXPRESS at 2.5*/3* also over $160. Anyone who is looking at these dates will likely first consider the 4* for $148 given how substantially cheaper it is than anything else downtown. So, I would be somewhat concerned that that option may not last given the price difference.

 

Thank you for keeping us updated and please let us know if we can be of any further assistance.

 

Please remember to return to BetterBidding and use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPSandHOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases.

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Hi guys,

 

Just wanted to provide an update.  It looks like there will only be 4 of us going now so we can actually bid on the rooms on priceline without taking a risk on whether there will be enough beds to fit 3 people to one room.  As such, can someone provide me a strategy for bidding on 2 rooms or the minimum price you think I should start at.  My dates and budget remained unchanged:

 

Date:  September 9 to September 12 ( 3 nights)

Minimum star rating:  4* 

Zone - Magnificent mile and River North or whichever zone is best for first time tourists 

Maximum bid price - $200 USD

 

Thanks!

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So if bidding are you now OK with the location of the Public and anything else that may be in the northern part of of the Mag Mile-Gold Coast zone?

 

Any reason you're not also including the Downtown Chicago - Millennium Park zone ni your bidding?

 

Are you ready to start bidding now?

 

Please confirm all of the above and we will advise accordingly.

 

Please remember to return to BetterBidding and use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPSandHOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases.

 

Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases

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I'm still seeing what appears to be the Public for these dates on PRICELINE EXPRESS (confirm that the correct dates of travel are showing on the detail page after clicking below), but for $182.

 

4* Magnificent Mile -Gold Coast for $182
Pets Allowed
Business Center
Restaurant
Free Internet
Fitness Center
No Smoking Rooms/Facilities
 

Please remember to return to BetterBidding and use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPSandHOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases.

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Hi guys, 

 

Thanks again for the quick responses :)

 

i am ready to bid now.  After talking to the group we would like to avoid the Public if possible.

 

Date:  September 9 to September 12 ( 3 nights)

Minimum star rating:  4.5* to avoid the Public

Zone - Magnificent mile and River North and  Downtown Chicago - Millennium Park

Maximum bid price - $200 USD

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When bidding 4.5* in the Chicago region you have ELEVEN re-bid zones.  If you're not familiar with re-bidding please read Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and feel free to ask questions and/or confirm your re-bid zones with the board before proceeding.

 

Select 4.5* Mag Mile and River North
Bid $120, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $145, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $130, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $135, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $140, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $145, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $150, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $155, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $160, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $165, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $168, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $170, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE...
Select 4.5* Mag Mile and Millennium Park
Bid $120, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $145, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $130, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $135, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $140, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $145, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $150, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $155, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $160, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $165, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $168, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $170, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE...


Select 4.5* Mag Mile, River North, Millennium Park
Bid $173, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $175, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $178, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $180, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $183, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $185, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $188, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $190, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $193, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $195, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $198, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $200

 

If the above is rejected you can take the following offer for just $5 more than your last rejected bid (confirm your dates on the landing page of the provided link):

4.5* Downtown - River North for $215 $205 when using the promotion link in my signature
Pets Allowed
Business Center
Restaurant
Free Internet
Fitness Center
No Smoking Rooms/Facilities
==> best guess The James Chicago

 

Any questions feel free to ask (especially confirming your re-bid zones if you're new to the subject or unsure)

 

Please remember to return to BetterBidding and use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPSandHOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases.

 

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases

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Just wanted to give a quick update.  Thanks everyone for the help.

 

Unfortunately, something happened and the trip to Chicago may be potentially cancelled now.  

 

If it doesn't, I will definitely update everyone on the hotel we end up winning on priceline./hotwire.

 

 

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Please update this thread with whatever is finally decided for this trip... either what you purchased or that it was definitely canceled.

 

Please remember to return to BetterBidding and use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPSandHOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases.

Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases

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